Bruised Innocence

Acknowledgement

To my 14 year old self

I am sorry I felt ashamed when a classmate molested you.

It wasn't your fault! I tear up as I write this.

I am sorry you felt that it was nothing to cry about.

It happened in front of a guy who was a family friend.

I am sorry, he did nothing to stop him.

They laughed at how outraged you looked.

I am sorry you didn't feel like you could tell anyone about it.

You had to carry that pain inside you, over all these years.

I am sorry that even when you told a family member, their only response was an uncomfortable silence.

You were made to feel that there was something wrong with you that attracted his overtures.

I sorry that you had to grapple with the wandering hands of even older men in future.

No body deserves to have their consent violated, nobody invites it on to themself.

I am sorry that you still had to face them after what they did and pretend that you were fine.

You felt so unsafe, every time you were out alone in public.

I am sorry it took so long a time for you to be comfortable hugging your loved ones.

It's all on the perpetrators. I know it now.

I am sorry I didn't know it back then.

You are too soft! You are such a wimp!

I am sorry that you believed all those lies.

I promise to try and do better.